The Economics of Everyday Things

Would you pay a professional $2,500 or more to put up your holiday lights? Zachary Crockett is walking in a winter wonderland.

• SOURCES:
  • Chuck Smith, creator of Planet Christmas.
  • Dean Lyons, founder and CEO of Bright Nights.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Suburban Maximalists Making Viral Christmas Displays," by Graham Hacia (WIRED, 2017).
  • "Incandescent vs. LED Christmas Lights: How Much Does it Impact Your Power Bill?," by K...

Trees are more than decoration — they’re living economic assets, with measurable costs and benefits for cities and neighborhoods. Zachary Crockett takes a walk on the shady side of the street.

• SOURCES:
  • Geoffrey Donovan, owner of Ash & Elm Consulting.
  • Jana Dilley, urban forester for the city of Seattle.
  • Kathleen Wolf, social scientist, former researcher at the University of Washington.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Extreme Heat ...

Grab a simple bouquet from your local grocery store and you're activating a global network of farms, shipping companies, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. Zachary Crockett stops to smell the roses.

• SOURCES:
  • Bob Mellano, vice president of wholesale operations for Mellano & Company.
  • Jasmine Gomez-Gonzalez, chief operations officer at OC Wholesale Flowers.

• RESOURCES:
  • "From Colombia with love: The journey...

Shoe repair shops are a dying breed — but for those that remain, demand is higher than ever. Zachary Crockett goes in for a shine.

• SOURCES:
  • Jim McFarland, owner of McFarland’s Shoe Repair in Lakeland, Florida.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Shoe cobbler becomes unlikely TikTok star," (NBC News, 2024).
  • "Cobblers face extinction - and are busier than ever," by Diana Nelson James (AP, 2019).
  • Shoe Service Institute of America.
<...

The market for gustatory pain is surprisingly competitive. Zachary Crockett feels the burn.

• SOURCES:
  • Ed Currie, founder and president of the PuckerButt Pepper Company.
  • Stephanie Walker, associate professor and Extension Vegetable Specialist at New Mexico State University

• RESOURCES:
  • "Pepper X Dethrones Carolina Reaper as World’s Hottest Chili Pepper," by Sanj Atwal (Guinness World Records, 2023).
  • "The Shocking,...

How much does it cost to design and build a mini-golf course? And what’s it like to run one? Zachary Crockett putts things in perspective.

• SOURCES:
  • Katie Conaboy, CEO and co-owner of Harris Miniature Golf.
  • Sal Conaboy, president and co-owner of Harris Miniature Golf.
  • Mike Matsinger, owner of Surf's Up Mini Golf.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Evolution of Miniature Golf," (National Golf Foundation, 2022).
  • "Who Made Mini-Golf?...

How do flavorists capture the essence of a fruit and put it in a can of sparkling water, or a tub of yogurt? Zachary Crockett takes a bite.

• SOURCES:
  • Terry Miesle, master flavorist at Sensient Technologies Corporation.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Flavor and Well‐Being: A Comprehensive Review of Food Choices, Nutrition, and Health Interactions," by Sakhawot Hossain, Abdul Wazed, Sharmin Asha, Alomgir Hossen, Nur Muhammad Fime...

A day on the job includes hundreds of quarters, giant balls of lint, and fishing weird stuff out of machines. Zachary Crockett throws in a load.

• SOURCES:
  • Jordan Berry, owner of Laundromat Resource.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Appliances in U.S. homes, by housing unit type, 2020," (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2023).
  • "How the Washing Machine Liberated The Masses," by Allen Therisa (Culturescape, 2023).
  • "Industry Ove...

Running a campground isn’t all eating s'mores around the campfire. Zachary Crockett fans the flames.

• SOURCES:
  • Mark Lemoine, owner, Coloma/St. Joseph KOA Holiday campground; sr. vice president, franchise operations at Kampgrounds of America.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Economic Impact of Parks," (National Recreation and Park Association, 2023).
  • "Campground Industry Analysis," (CHM Government Service, 2020).

• ...

When gas prices skyrocket, do station owners get a windfall? And where do their profits really come from? Zachary Crockett pulls up to the pump.

• SOURCES:
  • Garrett Golding, assistant vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
  • Jeetander P. Sethi, founding member of the American Petroleum and Convenience Store Association.
  • Kai Trimble-Lea, owner of a B.P. gas station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

• RESOURCES:
  • ...

Every year, thousands of products are recalled from store shelves. How does the process work — and who foots the bill? Zachary Crockett gets a refund on his frozen shrimp.

• SOURCES:
  • Chris Harvey, senior vice president at Sedgwick.

• RESOURCES:
  • "FDA Advises Public Not to Eat, Sell, or Serve Certain Imported Frozen Shrimp from an Indonesian Firm," (FDA, 2025).
  • "U.S. product recalls reach second-highest level in si...

In a sport that generates more than $3.5 billion a year, teams compete in cars that cost $70 million to develop and build — and a split-second to crash. Zachary Crockett assesses the damage.

• SOURCES:
  • Steve Cripps, chief financial officer at Williams Racing.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Everything you need to know about F1 – Drivers, teams, cars, circuits and more," (Formula 1, 2025).
  • "How Williams, F1’s ultimate underdog, fou...

The world’s oldest advertising medium has reconfigured itself for the digital age. Zachary Crockett looks up.

• SOURCES:
  • Anna Bager, president and C.E.O. of the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of America.
  • Dan Levi, chief marketing officer at Clear Channel Outdoor.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Advertising Proves Resilient Amidst Economic Uncertainty," (Magna Global, 2025).
  • "Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. Reports Results...

Some singles choose to skip the apps and get fixed up the old-fashioned way — but it doesn't come cheap. Zachary Crockett puts himself out there.

• SOURCES:
  • Maria Avgitidis, C.E.O. of Agape Match and author of Ask a Matchmaker: Matchmaker Maria's No-Nonsense Guide to Finding Love.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Dating Apps Have Hit a Wall. Can They Turn Things Around?" by J. Edward Moreno (New York Times, 2024).
  • "Love, (un)automa...

They have thousands of congregants and millions of dollars in income. Zachary Crockett passes the collection plate.

• SOURCES:
  • Julie Roys, founder of the Roys Report.
  • Scott Thumma, professor of sociology of religion at Hartford International University, director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The faithful see both crisis and opportunity as churches close across the country," by Sco...

Pure maple syrup can be five times as expensive as “pancake syrup,” but maple farmers — and breakfast connoisseurs — say it’s worth it. Zachary Crockett pours it on thick.

• SOURCES:
  • Emma Marvin, co-C.E.O. of Butternut Mountain Farm.
  • David Marvin, founder of Butternut Mountain Farm.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Crop Production," by National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA, 2025).
  • "Why Americans Overwhelmingly Prefer Fake M...

Why did it take so long to invent a longer-lasting bulb? Zachary Crockett finds the answer illuminating.

• SOURCES:
  • Heather Dillon, mechanical engineering professor at the University of Washington in Tacoma.
  • Jane Brox, author of the 2010 book Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light.
  • Markus Krajewski, philosopher and historian of technology at the University of Basel in Switzerland.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Thomas Edison...